The growing backlash against Tucker Carlson’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has prompted more than a dozen companies to pull advertisements from the air during his prime-time Fox News show, including IHOP and Ancestry.com.

During his Thursday evening opening monologue, the host suggested that immigrants make the United States “poorer and dirtier.”

“Our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this,” Carlson said, as he name-checked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and ran footage of trash along the border purportedly from caravans of Central American migrants. “We have a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided. Immigration is a form of atonement.”

The segment ended with an advertisement for insurance company Pacific Life. The Fortune 500 company said in a statement Friday that it “strongly” disagreed with Carlson’s immigration comments and that it would reevaluate its relationship with the program amid the fallout.

Carlson bled more advertisers in the coming days as he doubled down on his show Monday evening. “The left would very much like you to stop talking and thinking about bad decisions they’ve made over the years that they happen to be profiting from,” he said. “ ‘Shut up,’ they’re screaming, including to this show. Obviously, we won’t, and you shouldn’t, either.”

Carlson was clear there would be no apology from him. “We’re not intimidated. We plan to say what’s true until the last day,” he said.

He also went on Twitter, writing Monday: “We spend a lot of time talking about the threat to free speech. It’s not an academic question. If they can force you to shut up, they will. Here’s their latest attempt.”

On Tuesday, more companies took a position, even as Fox News said that no revenue has been lost after simply moving commercials to other programs. A count by The Hollywood Reporter reached 16 companies as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, with TD Ameritrade, Just For Men and the United Explorer credit card joining the ranks of companies that had previously announced their intentions.

The pancake chain IHOP said in a statement provided by spokeswoman Stephanie Peterson that it stands “for welcoming folks from all backgrounds and beliefs into our restaurants and continually evaluate ad placements to ensure they align with our values. In this case, we will no longer be advertising on this show.”

The genealogy company Ancestry halted advertisements, as did personal finance company NerdWallet, which said that it will be reevaluating future airtime on the show.

“If our review determines that a certain show’s content doesn’t align with our company values, we take commensurate and appropriate action. That’s what we’re doing in this instance,” NerdWallet spokesperson Keely Spillane told The Washington Post in a statement.

Minted, a design marketplace, has tweeted a flurry of responses to social media users angry over Carlson’s comments. “We are not currently advertising on Tucker Carlson Tonight and have permanently discontinued advertising on this particular program,” the company told several people.

SmileDirectClub and Nautilus, the parent company of fitness training equipment brand Bowflex, also confirmed that they asked Fox News not to run their commercials during Carlson’s show, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Employment search engine Indeed.com requested the same from the network more than a month ago.

Jaguar Land Rover spokesman Stuart Schorr said the automaker’s advertisements rarely appeared on Carlson’s program and that the company does “not have any future ad time allocated to it.” Schorr declined to address a question asking if the controversy played a role in that decision.

A few companies have stood behind their ad placement.

Farmers Insurance said it will keep advertising during the time slot, adding that “decisions made by Farmers should not be construed to be an endorsement of any kind as to a show’s content or the individuals appearing on the show,” spokesman Luis Sahagun said in a statement.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Bayer, producer of Alka-Seltzer Plus, also stood by its ad placement, as did Mitsubishi, the Daily Beast reported. The Post was unable to independently confirm with these companies.

[1/2] Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We do not agree with Mr. Carlson's comments and his opinions are not consistent with the values we hold at Minted. Like other advertisers, our media purchases are done broadly across a number of networks.

Fox News called the negative response by advertisers “unfortunate and unnecessary distractions,” network spokeswoman Carly Shanahan said in a statement Friday after Pacific Life pulled its advertisement from Carlson’s program.

On Tuesday, following the mounting number of companies following suit, the network defended Carlson, comparing it to attempts to “bully and terrorize” Carlson a month after protesters gathered outside his home.

“He is now once again being threatened via Twitter by far left activist groups with deeply political motives,” Fox News said in a statement provided by Shanahan. “While we do not advocate boycotts, these same groups never target other broadcasters and operate under a grossly hypocritical double standard given their intolerance to all opposing points of view.”

Advertisers have moved their commercials to other programs across Fox News and that “no revenue had been lost,” the network said.

Fox News has defended itself against similar advertiser withdrawals driven by public scrutiny.

In March, half a dozen companies yanked commercials during Fox host Laura Ingraham’s program after she taunted former Parkland High School student David Hogg. She later apologized, but Fox News executive Jack Abernethy decried the move as “agenda-driven intimidation efforts” and censorship.

Carlson has been a frequent critic of immigration. The Post’s Philip Bump has reported that since taking over the prime-time slot shortly before the 2016 election, Carlson has been “a fervent advocate for Trump’s hard-right position on immigration.” In March, Carlson expressed concern that America’s demographics were changing too quickly without “debate.”

In his Thursday monologue, Carlson rolled footage of Mexican protesters critical of the caravan who were suggesting that some in the caravan were criminals mounting an “invasion,” in an echo of President Trump’s rhetoric.

“That sounds like a Trump rally. When did Mexican citizens start talking like this? It’s confusing, and of course, deeply hilarious and satisfying to watch,” Carlson said.

Deanna PaulDeanna Paul covers national and breaking news for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, she spent six years as a New York City prosecutor. Follow

Alex HortonAlex Horton is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. He previously covered the military and national security for Stars and Stripes, and served in Iraq as an Army infantryman. Follow